New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-21
THE APACHES IN FLORIDA
THEIR TREATMENT AT FORT MARION.
MR. HERBERT WELSH DESCRIBES TIE CONDITION
OF THE CAPTIvEs AND DECLARES THAT
THEY HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH

Mr.. HERBERT WELSH DESCRIBES TIE CONDITION
OF THE CAPTIvEs AND DECLARES THAT
THEY HAVE BEEN TREATED WITH
SHAMEFUL INJUSTICE.
PHILADELPHIA March 2O.--Mr Herbert Welsh, the
corresponding secretary of the Indian Rights Associa
tion, has recently returned from a visit to tho
Chiricahus Apache Indians now eou1ned in Fort
Marion, ut st. Augustine, Florida. The visit was
undertaken at the instance and by the authority OF
the Executive Co.nmittee of the Indian Rights Asso
citation. lite object to gain reliable and exact in
formation concerning the Indian men, women and
children. OF whom for than year past, and
others for about half that period. have been mpris-
oned by order the President The total number of
Indian prisoners confined in Fort Marion last October,
when the last party was brought there, amounted 10
500. There arc now within its walls. including men
women and children, 447. Forty-tour OF the original
number taken Carlisle Twenty three, princi-
pally women and children, have died in confinement.
OF the 447 Indians. about ninety are men, the remain-
der and children.
1t Is an interesting fact" says Mr. Welsh in his
port upon their condition. " and one to which desire
to CAL especial attention. and upon which desire to
Law the strongest possible that OF the ninety
men only thirty have been guilty OF any recent mis-
dong these were with Geronmo on his recent raidD
whilst most OF the remainder were employed in our
Army regularly commissioned scouts first by Gen-
eral Crook aud afterward by General Miles, TO assist
the white soders in following up and finally securing
should have been mpri oned on the same footing
with those Indians who were at war With tue United
States, and that their fidelity and, IN some instances,
their valuable service rendered 10 our arms should
have been rewarded by Incarceration is tact well
calculated to attract attention. Such 10 the case One
of the remarkable instances OF this u fJund In
the of Cbatto Chiricahua Apache Indian, whose
history 1 will briefly narrate. This man was at ono
time hostile and doubtless committed sucn a,t, OF
violence as Indians the warpath indulge ill., But IN
1888 Chatto. surrendered to General Crook in the
Serre Madre Mountains, at which time he made
promise OF good behavior in the utuie which be has
violated. He has since served IA scout IN our
army under GeAeral Crock, in which capacity he has
rendered valuable service. He has been engaged in
farming at Fort Apache, San Carlos Reservation, A.
t. where he house, fourteen acres Of land and
several horses and mules. His house was built BY his
ov unaided labor. Early last summsr Mr. l.. u Z.
Lamar, ir, the of the Secretary OF the INTERIOR
visited Fort Apache and held conference with
Chatto and asked him TO vislt Washington NO hint
WAS, given to ChatiO that he under suspicion or
wrong doing that his proposed journey to the Cap
ital to terminate within prisol walls On tho
contrary the object his visaccording to the state
ment made to him by Mr.. Lamar. jr.. Il base my
sertiou Chatos account OF the interyes and that
OF another witness gwen me at Fort Marionl was 10
talk with the authorities concerning the possible re-
mova himself and his peop to better reservato
ChattO accordingly. about July 10, 1885, went 10
Washington with fourteen other Indians. men, women
and two reliable interpreters, Concipci0n. Mexican
who speaks Spanish and Apache, ami Samuel Bowman,
nho speaks some Apache but principally spanish anu
English. Chatto was furnished with certhcate Oh
good character by Mr.. Lamar, ir
when Chait0 was in Washington he had interviews
with the President, Secretary Lamar and Secretary
Lamar told him ii he needed any thing III the nay OF
farming implements ask tor them Ch,tto told him
h' needs in this respect and Mr. Lamar to'd nl.,,
that if lie wohld return he should receive
these thngs tCbatto had informed the Secre-
tary that he did not wish to leave his
Old home at Fort Aptchel. Mr. Lamar further told
him that he could return by way OF Carlisle because
many OF the men IN his party had children there;
CAPITA Dorst, the army oihcer who had charge OF
them took the Indians TO Carlisle. Alter remaining
there some t.e orders tor them to return Ihey
started Westward and iourneyed three lays and three
nght- when the ear tney were ia W9s uetacneu s iy
the train Chato states that he iet happy ana orght
at the prospect OF reaching his bone when tue irse
thing he knew he was back at Fort Leayeawor.n.,
| Here Captain Doist received orders from Geherai
Miles TO meet him at Albuquerque. Cpor his return
Captain Dorst said General Hi'es would give them
reservation many square miles sixty, ana .na' 'n.y
would lose none their property that they had lett
| behind Tie new reservation he s1d. would contain
better land the old. Chatto supposed that ne had
taken pity IN them because OF Their poverty. On tnls
new reserve the new clief was to receive Ioo pc,
month and Others according TO their station p5o ana
so per month. The Indians were again startei on
| their Journey and finally arrived, nor upon tne new
and better an promised them. but within the narrow
limits OF ter prison. In concluding his narrative
Chatto naiyely said DO not think this place looks
| as though il contained sixty square me: .
| "Chattos COM plaint to me. continues MI "eisn,
was that he had chance t0work; he "i'hes 10 40
in the future he done IN the past-to support
himself by his own exertions. was mueh strucA VI
Chattos good appearance lie IS forty years oil age,
n man in the vIgor and prime OF NE. Atioush w he
| wears his hair on,-as 30 all the Apaene men-ne
dresses in other respects ike decent white man. lie
wore clean linen shirt and collar crayat vest ana
tronsers and paIr OF leather topboots have iiynJ
| nosse, e,.ivp "A copy of document signed by the hon
orable Secretary of War the original Cha,to showed
me, in which Mr.. Endicott stated that PRESIDENT
Cleveland has assured him that so long as lie snai
keep faith with the Government bis interest, shall DC
looked after What Chattos view may be OF the man
ner in which this pied d.e has been maintained do not
know but honorable nen can scarceis regard u as
other than very shameless violation OF gOod iath.
| MARTINEZ ana Kie-ta are tie names OF the two
| Apache scouts who COMMISSIONED by ieneral
| tv hpto Ia
pign in the Sirrre MaGre Mountains to visit the camp
of iieronlmo and his band in order to induce them to
surrender. Both OF these found III captivity IN
Fort Marion Ki-e Ia and Martinez state tnat Generai
| Miles instructed them to to Gcronimo that III lo
would surrender he might 80 back TO ort apaene II
he was unwilling to 90 to any other pace deron'mo
finally consented to giv" himself up and IN company
with the scouts K eta and MARTINEZ. he Joined Lieu
tenant Gatcwood aud his det Ill OF soldiers 0u on tho
Journey General Miles Geronimo went oil on another
| briet laid into Mexico, re dining Lakewood on nis
march IL j. evident the story OF the two scouts be
correct regarding this point OF the
terms on which Geronmo gave Eimseu up, tnat tno
surrender was tar from oeing unconditional hte.ts
and Martinez complain that the promise vi ten ponies
apece II they succeeded efecting the surrender has
| not been fulfilled that they we're 9ven pIOo eacn,
but that they did not deem that the OF wha
had been pledged them. IL was further sta go tnat
| thew were at first given but 500 but that military
oncsr increased the amount TO SlOO out OF his own
| pocket. Why should this United States Governn ent
continue to mprison men who have rendered valua
| Bile a service rs that OF Martinez and HI e-tat
found also in Fort Marion GOut kill and Izilgan,
| d !"
Blanca Apache Neither OF these Chiricahua
Apaches bur they have been identified with that Tribe
| because thew have MAJ ried Chirlcahus Both
| OF them have served and have been faithful
| men Io-KIanna is also in confinement He s
| Chiricahua who married White Mountain Apache
woman and consequently lett his own 10 live with her
| teope. He has not been on the warpath Tor many
years. certainly not since 1872. lie was one OF Cen
eral Crooks most trusted scouts H. the Sierra Madre
cam paign. Socke also captivity, was Captain Craw-
lords chiet OF scouts in the attack upon Geronimos
camp. He is good man. Dutchey,' a Chirlcanua,
also in captiyty was at Captain Crawtords side when
that officer murdered by the Me!icans year and
| . halt ago. .Dutchey' shot the Mexican by whom
Crawford killed. He has abundant time to reflect
upon the gratitude of republics.
"The above, says MI. Walsh are but a few notice
able cases among the many similar instances to bc
found in the tort. So tar can gather 1t seems TO
have been the intention of the authorities to remove
-. aof ha hIndA